


Broken Promise

by SheBelievesInKrashlyn



Category: USWNT - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-06 04:51:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5403710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheBelievesInKrashlyn/pseuds/SheBelievesInKrashlyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when two life long best friends hold in major secrets until graduation? What happens when fate brings them to the same city four years later?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Could You?

**Author's Note:**

> **Sorry for the short first chapter, I have to get the background out of the way so we can get to the fun!**

_**FLASHBACK May 5, 2012**_

_Ali let out a loud squeal as her best friend of thirteen years picked her up from behind and spun her around with her own sounds of delight._

_“WE FUCKING MADE IT KRIEGER!” Ashlyn yelled in her ear as she was set down. Ali playfully slapped her arm before engulfing the blonde in another hug, this time with both their parents and their two older brothers, Kyle and Chris joining in on the action. “I can’t believe we are headed to college, Princess.”_

_“Me neither!” Both brothers shouted in response, earning a kick in the shins from their sisters and chuckles from the adults. The two close families held proud smiles on their faces as they ushered the two girls towards the parking lot of Satellite Beach High before they got stuck in traffic on their way home. They already decided to meet their friends the day before for a celebratory dinner so everyone could spend time with their respective families._

_The ride to Ashlyn’s house was quick. The girls barely had time to step out of her jeep before her grandma came speeding out of the house to embrace them both, not having a chance to earlier since she volunteered to head home right after to start dinner. The three shared terms of endearment as they made their way inside to great everyone else. Dinner passed in no time with the two older brothers making fun of their sisters, Ali and Ashlyn’s moms crying with joy, and their fathers trying to calm their wives while holding in chuckles._

_Since it was their big day, the two girls decided to take a walk on the beach to watch the sunset while everyone cleaned up. Ashlyn made the decision months ago to tell her best friend she had been in love with her since the beginning of high school, so she was glad for the privacy. Ashlyn watched Ali from the corner of her eye as the brunette took in the waves. Ashlyn would never get tired of her beauty. She was jolted from her thoughts when Ali poked her gently in the side to gather her attention._

_“Ash, I need to tell you something…” Ali started, staring at her feet while tears formed in her eyes. She too had been holding in a secret, and now was her last chance to tell her favorite blonde. Ashlyn almost got her hopes up, but they were long gone when she saw the tears in Ali’s eyes. “I know we agreed to become Gators together… But I got an offer to play soccer for a college in Frankfurt.” Ashlyn sucked in a breath, taking a step away from Ali as the next set of dreaded words left her mouth. “And I accepted.”_

_Ashlyn started to form tears of her own. She shook her head slowly, with wide eyes, as she continued to step back with disbelief. “You… Wh-what?” Ashlyn stuttered. “You promised…” Ashlyn raised her eyes to Ali, tears now steadily streaming down her face. “How could you?!_

_” And with those last words, she took off running back to the house, leaving Ali alone in the beach with her own tears, crying out for her best friend to come back. She never did._

_** END OF FLASHBACK **_


	2. Germany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ali's time in Germany with a quick hello from Pinoe and Kling. Next up we will have Ashlyn's college years... THEN WE GET TO THE FUN!

 

                Ali left for Germany in the middle of August with Kyle, allowing herself two weeks before school started to get used to the new time change and culture. She spent hours every day learning the language in hopes she could pick most of it up by the time she and her brother departed for the all too famous city of Frankfurt.

Her parents bought her a small apartment on the outskirts of campus as her graduation present, so she didn’t have to worry about living in a dorm with a stranger, or worse, living a ways away from campus and getting stuck in the middle of a foreign country with no one to help. Her apartment was in the middle of it all, so she left her car at home and used her graduation money from the Harris’ to purchase a bike and two new pair of cleats. She still called them once a week, a promise she made to Ashlyn’s grandmother, but she never spoke to the blonde herself. She called Ashlyn’s cell multiple times over the next week following their graduation, but they all went to voicemail prompting Ali to eventually give up hope of getting her best friend back.

Still, Ali kept her head held high as she and Kyle spent two weeks exploring and spending quality time together before they saw each other over the Christmas holidays. Kyle was smart enough to know exactly what went down, as well as both girls’ parents, but everyone stepped back to let them figure everything out themselves.

Soon, Ali started school, planning on double majoring in sports medicine and exercise science so she could be connected to the world of sports even after she stopped playing. She went home every Christmas, and her family would always fly out for Thanksgiving. Her summers back home were filled with day trips with Kyle, family BBQs, and visiting the Harris’ (minus Ashlyn) as often as she could.

The next four years went by with Ali aiding her school in winning the championship her last three years, receiving straight As every semester, and even making time to get close to her teammates. She even let two other American seniors on the team move in with her during their last year. Meghan Klingenberg, who played her freshman year for a college in Sweden, and Megan Rapinoe.

She didn’t know how she would have made it without the two other women in her life, who had become her best friends within the first week of freshman year. Megan, or Pinoe, as everyone now called her, was a handful in Ali’s eyes. She was serious about soccer and her studies, but when she figured out she was gay after the first two years of school, there was no stopping the ladies that lined up every night for her. Kling, on the other hand, was more reserved like Ali, but they always found amusement when a girl would sleep over and Pinoe couldn’t find a nice way to tell her to leave.

Before she knew it, graduation had come and gone. Her parents, Kyle, and the Harris’ (minus Ashlyn as usual) had come for the weekend to support her. She would never forget the feeling of accomplishment that came with walking across the stage with her two best friends to receive her diploma. She even flashed a cute pose on stage for Kyle to capture before she exited and made a beeline for her awaiting support system. She stayed with Pinoe and Kling in Germany for two more weeks while the three girls waited to get drafted into the NWSL.

Much to everyone’s surprise, a new team popped up in Orlando, and they had a roster to fill. They had already selected their three national team players, but no one saw it coming when Ali received a phone call out of the blue from head coach Tom. She remembers him asking to speak to all three of them over speaker to invite them to play for the team. They all accepted without question and soon enough they had called their families and started house hunting in Orlando. They decided to pick a place on the beach to live together, not quite ready to be on their own. She was headed home.


	3. Gator Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are Ashlyn's college years with a quick intro for Abby, Tobin, and Whit! The next chapter will be worth it now that we have the boring stuff out of the way.

Ashlyn wasn’t fooling anyone. Not even her “I-know-everything” grandmother or her clueless big brother. Yet, no one said a word the night Ashlyn came back to the dinner alone, tears rolling down her face, as she ran upstairs and proceeded to lock herself in her room for the remainder of the summer. She ignored her phone unless it was a family member calling, in hopes to rid herself of the pain Ali caused her.

Numb. That was the word. Ashlyn carried out the rest of the summer in complete numbness. She didn’t spend her weekend mornings surfing on their private beach, she didn’t take longboard rides down the boardwalk at sunset, and she most certainly stopped eating mac n’ cheese. Why? Because she and Ali would spend once a week, usually Friday afternoon, making it with her grandmother to squeeze in quality girl time with her two favorite people.

When college approached, she began to crawl out of her shell more and more as the last month went by. She began making breakfast for everyone every morning, joining them for dinner every other night, but the shock didn’t hit the Harris clan until she joined Chris in the water on her last full day home. Ashlyn decided to live a little more now that college was approaching, getting sick of wallowing in pain every day and living off of stale crackers because she was to ashamed of herself to face her family.

She didn’t have a tearful goodbye when she left one Wednesday afternoon, seeing as she was only two hours away, but she promised to meet them halfway as often as possible for brunch on the weekends.

She had found a house off campus that was looking for a fourth owner, the other three being freshman as well, and she decided to go for it. Abby, Tobin, Whitney, and she became inseparable the minute they met. Tobin was as laid back as her, Abby was in the school’s surfing club and owned a French bulldog puppy named Kingston (who eventually learned to ride Ashlyn’s longboard), and then there was Whitney. Whitney was the stick out of the clan, being a miss “goody-two-shoes”, and was immediately drawn to her new friends’ laid back style of living.

After the first year she had pulled all A’s and B’s, joined the surfing club with Abby and Tobin, and even earned enough money through giving private surf lessons to finally buy that white jeep she always wanted. The only thing the blonde didn’t do at this point was date. She had gotten over the fact Ali was gone, but that didn’t mean Ashlyn had to let go. Her friends new she was sensitive to the subject, so no one ever brought it up. The next two years flew by without a hitch. She still managed top grades while surfing with her friend 24/7, and she even brought up the prospect of starting a local surf shop on the beach with her friends after the old one closed down.

By the time her senior year rolled around, she and Abby had been spotted by a professional surfing coach who just happened to be one of the top ranked of all time. He approached the girls one day as they were loading up her jeep and gave them his information, telling them he needed two more ladies for his team; they had until the end of July to accept his offer. Neither had waited that long however, calling him the next week to accept. Much to Ash’s surprise, two of her friends agreed to become partners and open up a surf shop along the board walk together. Although Tobin took a job as a personal trainer for a gym that trained elite athletes, she still promised to help them out when she could.

Sure enough, after graduation, all four of them bought a house on the beach together back in Orlando, ready to start a new journey.


	4. The Maverick and The Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on how the two will meet...?

Ashlyn, Whit, and Abby had the paperwork completed and found a great little shop to use for the surf shack, which was going to be named Maverick Surfing, so they had the little business up and running by the end of August. Whit had used her secret art skills to create a ‘cool ass’ logo, as Ashlyn referred to it, and even made the main colors blue and orange to represent the alma mater of the new owners.

Ashlyn was currently sitting with Whitney behind the counter as she crunched numbers for the past week’s sales, waiting for Abby to return with the lunch she promised everyone. It was an hour past when Abby told them she would be back when the tall blonde strode into the shop with a shit-eating grin covering her face. Ash and Whit shared an amused look as Abby set the food down, humming a little, as she walked off the aid a couple in finding appropriate swim wear.

“What. The. Fuck.” Ashlyn whispered to Whitney as they watched Abby talking to the young customers.

“Right…?” Whitney slid her sandwich out of the bag, keeping her eyes glued to her friend, abandoning the paperwork for the time being. “Since when does Abby ever come back from a lunch run with a smile?”

“Maybe she finally got laid…” Ashlyn snickered to herself, earning a slap on the shoulder from Whit, reaching the grab her own food. Both girls watched the scene in front of them while they ate, trying to make their staring unknown to the short-haired blonde. As soon as the customers left with their purchases, Abby made her way over to her nosy friends, shooting a wink in their direction as she went into the back room to restock the sunscreen pile.

Without hesitation the two girls sprinted after her, Whit beating Ashlyn to the obvious question. “WHAT THE HELL WAMBACH?!” Giggles erupted from Ashlyn. Whit rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at her unusual outburst as well. “Spill it, Abs.”

“Well…” Abby started, falling into a love struck state.

***** ONE HOUR EARLIER*****

_“Want the usual, Ab?” The middle aged owner of the friends’ favorite deli quipped across the empty room as she entered._

_“Thanks, Mike.” Abby nodded her head and pulled out a twenty to leave on the counter before sliding onto a stool at the counter. Only one other occupant sat way down, looking up from the menu with a hopeful expression. Mike nodded Abby to the newcomer and told the girl, whom he referred to as Sarah, that the tall blonde new the menu inside out._

_“Give her my usual.” Abby flashed the brunette a smile as she put another five down on the counter. “It’s on me.”_

_“Oh you don’t have too…” Sarah made her way over to place her own money down, but Abby waved her off._

_“Don’t worry.” Abby tried to suppress the large smile on her face as she turned towards Sarah. “Can I assume you’re not from town?” Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but once again, Abby beat her to it. “I’ve never seen you in here and even if you hadn’t been here in a while you would know what to order. This is a hotspot.” Sarah blushed slightly, nodding._

_“I was drafted out of the University of Virginia to play for the Pride soccer team.” Sarah let out a nervous laugh. “I’ve never been to Orlando… Like, ever.” Mike placed both girls’ orders in front of them with a small wave before he went to go tidy up some tables._

_“I get off work in four hours, here is the address and my number. I’m showing you the essentials.” Abby scribbled her info on Sarah’s receipt before turning to leave with a little pep in her step from the new girl._

***** CURRENT TIME*****

“AWWWWW.” Whitney let out a big squeal as she moved forward hug Abby. Ashlyn let her giggle fall freely now as she looked at the look on Abby’s face from being hugged. “You are in looooove. Isn’t this adorable, Ash?!” Now Ashlyn was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically as Abby let out a high pitched ‘excuse me?!’

“I’ll be out back waxing boards if you need me.” Abby left with a huff of feigned annoyance as she headed out back, leaving Whit to help Ashlyn off the floor, silently excited to meet this girl that had her big, bad ass friend whipped in a few hours.

 

A collective squeal could be heard throughout the corner of the locker room as Sarah reencountered meeting Abby in the little sandwich spot. Ali hugged her new friend, both bouncing slightly as their excitement bubbled over. Aside from the ‘comments’ Pinoe offered, all the girls were excited for their new teammate.

They had just gotten through with the first week of their training and had a game already rounding the corner the next weekend against the Boston Breakers here in Orlando. Ali had already sent tickets to her brother, mom and dad, and the Harris’; all of whom promised to be there for her first game. She was excited beyond belief. She was named to the starting roster along with Kling, Pinoe, Huffy, Alex Morgan (aka Baby Horse), Sydney Leroux, Sarah Walsh, Crystal Dunn, Morgan Brian, and Heather (HAO). Of course Hope Solo would be in goal. Orlando had secured almost all their players straight from college, but no one complained after they saw how well they connected on and off the field.

Pinoe and Kling left the locker room to head to the grocery store, Huffy headed home to get ready for her evening with Abby, and Ali left to go meet her brother for a late lunch.

“Hey B!” Ali heard as soon as she entered the dive, a wide grin finding a way onto her face as she rushed to the back to find her brother. He scooped her up into a huge hug, even though Ali didn’t particularly enjoy them, and kissed her cheek. Kyle ushered his sister into the booth, exclaiming he already ordered them salads. Ali murmured her thanks as she turned to dig through her bag. She loved these one-on-one moments with her better half of a brother. For some reason, they always understood each other to no end.

“I was able to do better than a t shirt.” Ali grinned as she tossed him a male version of her purple jersey. He shrieked loudly, both siblings ignoring the looks directed towards them as Kyle inspected his new treasure.

“This is so freaking pretty, baby sis. Holy cows.” Kyle smiled at his sister and stuffed it safely in his messenger bag. “Everyone is soooooo excited for next Saturday, Alex, like…” Kyle made waved his hands around his face causing Ali to giggle.

“Thanks, Kyle. So um… Everyone?” Ali shot her older brother a half smile, but Kyle immediately picked up on it.

“We hear from Ash, but no one talks about you around her. And vice versa.” Kyle smiled sadly as his sister nodded dejectedly. “Don’t worry, B, she will come around.”

“It’s been four years, Kyle!” Ali whispered, trying to hold back her tears as she snapped. “I don’t even get a ‘Hey I’m alive.’ Or ‘Have a nice life.’” Ali huffed, trying to fight off the rest of the rant that wanted to be let out.

Kyle reached over and squeezed his sister’s hands. “Well you did move across an ocean without giving her warning, especially when you made plans to go to University of Florida together. Sorry, Alex, but some people need a lot of time to recover. Especially when… You know what, just relax, she will come around.

“What? When what, Kyle?” She leaned forward, worried she had done something else dumb. It’s not like it would surprise her much.

“Please don’t worry, B, let’s just catch up and eat.” Kyle nodded towards their oncoming food. Ali let it go, for now.


	5. Game Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Ali meet unexpectedly, and not without a little turbulence... Sorry it's been awhile, now that the holiday craziness is over I will be updating frequently.

_**Abby and Sarah’s ‘Date’**_

_Lucky for Abby’s image, Sarah texted her and told the giddy blonde to meet her at a small bar on the beach since she was a little behind schedule. She didn’t need Whit and Ashlyn to scare the poor girl away before she could have one night alone with the new girl in town. Abby opted for a pair of semi-dark khakis and a light blue, long sleeve Nike top. As the nervous blonde sat in a corner table, trying not to be obvious as she side-eyed the door, she drummed against the leather wallet in her pants. She decided to wait for Sarah to start drinking, but that didn’t stop her from taking a shot of the strongest tequila she could fish out of Ashlyn’s stash back home before she left._

_Just on the other side of the door, Sarah wiped her slightly sweaty palms on her jeans while she checked her hair quickly. Sarah let out a shaky breath before she pulled the door open and made her way into the semi-full bar, relaxing as the scent of the ocean out back fills the room. However, her relaxed state of mind didn’t last long. Her heart rate shot through the roof as she caught the back of a certain blonde haired woman she met earlier._

_When Abby saw the brunette she had been waiting for walk in out of the corner of her eye, a grin flashed across her face as she stood up to wave Sarah over. While Sarah paid attention to weaving in and out of the tables, Abby took the time to look over the Pride’s newest midfielder. Sarah had on a pair of dark skinny jeans and an old UVA soccer shirt on with her hair down around her shoulders._

_“Damn…” The blonde thought to herself as she walked to the other side of the table to pull out a chair for Sarah. Abby received a grateful smile from Sarah as she sat down._

_“I hope I haven’t made you wait long…” Sarah said, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear as the tall blonde retook her seat._

_“Only a few minutes, no worries.” Abby smiled as she waived down the waiter. “Two your best on draft for the night, please. Thanks.” She received a nod from the young man as she turned back towards a slightly flushed Sarah._

_“Thanks, I could use something a little strong.” Sarah laughed quietly, eyes flickering down as she felt Abby’s boring into hers._

_“Tough day? Speaking off, will I get to see you in action soon?” Abby countered, leaning forward slightly as she watched the brunette squirm._

_“That depends on how well our “tour” goes.” Lord knows why, but Sarah threw Abby a small wink as she leaned back in her seat._

The tour went extremely well between the two. Abby had the new girl in town rolling in laughter within minutes of joining her at the table and Abby had quickly fallen for the shy, but no quite innocent, midfielder. This is how Ashlyn found herself sandwiched between Abby and Whitney in a sea of purple. Sarah had given Abby tickets for the three to attend the season opener and they were seated practically on the field. The trio had arrived right after the teams exited the locker rooms fresh from warm ups, but they couldn’t see Sarah or her teammates clearly since they were all deep in a huddle.

Ashlyn knew she had a few minutes so she pulled out her phone to play around while the starters lined up to be announced. The Pride were playing the Boston Breakers, last year’s champions. The blonde must have gotten through three rounds of candy crush on her phone before Whit elbowed her to put it away and pay attention. Ash rolled her eyes and made a face at her best friend before she turned half way through the line up to see who she was supposed to cheer for.

“And let’s see our starting line-up for our hosting team, the Orlando Priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!” The announcer started to hype up the crowd as the team unfolded from their huddle. “Serving as our captain for the Pride, we have defender number 11, Miss Ali Krieger….!”

What. Ashlyn paled as her eyes darted to the brunette waving to the opposite side of the stadium. No. Ashlyn tried to will her eyes to move away before she could turn around and confirm her worst nightmares, but she wouldn’t budge. Ali turned around and waved to the fans in front of her, eyes wondering as Ashlyn stared.

“Ash, are you okay?” She felt Abby’s hand gently shaking her shoulder as Ashlyn continued to stare wide-eyed at the captain, a little nauseated. The long haired blonde didn’t know how to react to the situation, I mean, why the fuck wouldn’t anyone tell her Ali returned to Florida…? And to the same town no doubt.

Ali continued to smile to the crowd as her team was announced, and to Ashlyn’s luck, never saw the blonde.

“Yeah, I’m good, just had a weird feeling for a sec…” Ashlyn flashed her friends a weak smile as she sat back and tried to get comfortable for what was going to be a long, long game.

And long game it was. The Pride and Breakers fought tooth and tail from start to finish. But Ashlyn wouldn’t remember much of this. Her eyes were trained on non-other than Ali Krieger the entire game. She held the same rigid posture through every tackle she made, shot she took, and even when she scored in the 91st minute of the second half.

Now Ashlyn stood between Whit and Abby once more as they waited outside the locker room to meet Sarah and take her out for dinner. Ashlyn was hoping and praying to the lord that Sarah would walk out next, seeing as everyone but Ali had exited already. Of course Ashlyn wasn’t that lucky, because here came the brunette she was in love with, laughing away with who she assumed to be Sarah.

“Fuck…” Whit turned to Ash with a concerned look as she watched her pale. “Please tell me we are just meeting up with Sarah.”

“No, I told you she was bringing her roommate.” Abby decided to answer before she moved forward to scoop Sarah up in a massive hug. Sarah was talking non-stop after the game, mostly due to her excitement of winning and seeing her new ‘friend’. Some friend she was, Ali thought as she watched the tall, short-haired blonde scoop up her roommate. She decided to give them a minute so she turned to look at her other guests, gasping loudly as her eyes landed on Ashlyn.

 

 

“Ash…” Ali whispered in pure shock, ignoring the looks the former best friends were receiving as they stared at each other in shock. Before she knew it, she had tears streaming down her face, and a hand covering her mouth as her body shook.

“Ash, Ash…” Her eyes stayed trained on the brunette as she heard Abby repeat her name, trying to gently shake the blonde from the mesmerized state because clearly she wasn’t listening to Ali. “Ashlyn. Michelle. Harris.”

That did it. A look of anger and hurt crossed Ashlyn’s face as she took a step back from Abby’s grip and shook her head towards the still defender. “Why the fuck did you come back here Alex?!” Ashlyn hissed in a slight whisper as she moved subtly towards her confused best friends. “What’s your problem?!”

Before Whitney could intercept what she could see to be a start of a heated argument, Ali stepped forward, wincing slightly at Ashlyn’s words, hoping to keep her cool. “I didn’t know you would stay in Florida, Ash. And it’s not like I had many options. I only accepted to play here so I could keep playing with two teammates from Germany. And it’s none of your goddamn business how I live my life anymore. YOU ignored me.”

“Well you left me. You broke a promise, and I will NOT forgive you.” Ashlyn opted to speak in a quieter tone, not having much energy left in her system. She turned to her shocked friends and congratulated Sarah on a good game before excusing herself before she really made a scene. Ali, however, had a different idea. She bid goodbye to the shocked trio that was left in the hallway and ran after the retreating form of her former best friend.

“Ashlyn Harris, don’t you turn your back on me!” Ali reached ahead of her, yanking the blonde to face her as soon as they rounded a corner. A gasp left her mouth as she saw a heavy stream of tears cascading down Ashlyn’s cheeks. “Oh, Ash…” Ali choked out, not remembering the shouting match that just occurred, and pulled her close in a tight hug. Shocked. Ali was shocked when Ashlyn hugged her tightly back, openly sobbing into the brunette’s neck.

“You left m-me. H-how could y-you?!” Ashlyn chocked into Ali’s neck, trying to take in the feel of her favorite person for the first time in over four years. But it wasn’t enough. All of a sudden the pain and heartbreak Ash had felt the months after she left came rushing back in a sea of emotion. Ashlyn pushed herself away from Ali. “I don’t ever want to see you again, Alex.”

And just like that, Ali’s hope of making up with her best friend vanished as she watched the blonde all but sprint out of the stadium. All she could do was try to keep herself together as she texted Kyle, forewarning him about the phone call he was about to receive and dragged herself out to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Krashlyn requests? Just send them in and I'll see what I can do!


	6. Mac N' Cheese and a Prom Picture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for drama..

The next few days had been similar to when Ali first left for Germany for Ashlyn. She was lifeless, numb, and only did what she was required to do. The only different was that she had to interact with people from 7 am until 4 pm six days a week. Even Ali wasn’t going to ruin the booming business empire Ashlyn built alongside her two best friends. And speaking of best friends, Whit and Abby hadn’t said a word to Ashlyn all week regarding what happened between her and Ali. It was obvious they had a long and lengthy history, but they also knew that they had never seen Ashlyn this messed up before and it scared them to pieces.

The big moment that got Ashlyn to crack, and Abby to go soft for once (not including her new girlfriend), was when she decided to visit the blonde’s room on her day off to cheer her up. Things went somewhat smoothly as Abby got Ashlyn to take a shower for the first time in days while she quickly tidied up her room for her. By the time Abby had put new sheets on her bed and thrown in two loads of dirty clothes, Ashlyn emerged from the bathroom looking more like the living than she had before.

“Come on, Grumpy, let’s feed you something edible for once. Hm?” Abby led her friend to the couch and flipped on one of the girls’ favorite shows, Criminal Minds, for Ash to watch while she headed into the kitchen.

“But poptarts are edible!” Ash whined as she snuggled into the fluffy blanket kept on the back of the upholstery. “And they even make them with pictures now.”

Abby smirked as she listen to Ash whine. “What a child.” Abby muttered to herself as she grabbed two pots and turned on the stove to make her roommate’s secret weakness, mac n’ cheese. Abby worked quickly to boil the noodles half way while she sautéed some sausage and melted cheese and butter in another pan. The tall blonde then poured everything in a large pan together and tossed it into the oven to bake for twenty minutes.

“I have your favorite cooking.” Abby teasingly sang as she sat on the end of the couch. She was thoroughly shocked when Ashlyn sniffled and scooted over to curl herself into Abby’s side with the blanket. Neither blonde was known to show this much emotion, allowing confirmation to Abby that Ashlyn was way worse than she thought. However, nothing prepared her for what left Ashlyn’s mouth next.

“Ali used to make mac n’ cheese with my gramma and me.” Ash sniffled loudly as she mumbled into her friend’s shoulder. “Then she had to go play for stupid Frankfurt and leave me, and break her promise, and I never got to tell her, and she RUINED MY FUCKING LIFE!” Ash spit the last part out while landing a punch on Abby’s innocent shoulder.

As much as Abby wanted to ask questions about what was wrong with her friend, she decided against it as soon as Ashlyn started to openly bawl into her shoulder. “Tell her what, muffin?” Abby tried to ease the truth out of her friend, hoping her old nickname would crack a smile. And that it did. The first week of school, Abby and Tobin teased Ashlyn to no end on the fact she had guys and girls swooning over her in seconds, earning the nickname stud muffin from her three roommates.

“Ass.” Ashlyn huffed, smiling slightly as she sat up a little. “Ali and I grew up together, we met in kindergarten, and we had decided to become Gators together. Um… The night after our graduation, she and I went for a walk on the beach. I was planning on telling her that I loved her, but she blurted out that she accepted a scholarship to play for a university in Frankfurt. I left her on the beach and I haven’t seen her since.” A small sigh escaped from Ashlyn as she wiped her eyes. “I was a wreck for two months, I only pulled myself together in time for college. I, however, am still in love with her. Even though I fucking hate her guts.” The last sentence was punctuated with a punch to the pillow between each word.

Abby stared at Ashlyn in shock. She knew something had happened from the moment Ashlyn told her she wasn’t into dating at the time because she was a girl who liked to party. At first Tobin thought it was her sexuality that embarrassed her, but eventually everyone let that idea go seeing as Ashlyn was the most open book you’d ever meet. The ding of the oven pulled both blondes from thought and Abby stood up, tugging Ashlyn with her.

“Come on, muffin, time to eat your broken heart out.” Abby quipped.

“I love you, you big idiot.” Ashlyn joked as she tweaked Abby’s ear on their way to the kitchen.

“Same here, drama queen.” Abby slapped away her hand as she went to get Ashlyn her food.

 

 

“I c-can’t lose her a-again!” Ali sobbed into her brother’s shirt as they laid in her bed. As soon as Kyle heard Ai over the phone, she dropped everything and drove the three hours to her house. Luckily Pinoe, Kling, and Sarah took the weekend to drive to see old friends so Ali didn’t have to look a complete mess in front of them.

“Come on, Alex, she has every right to be upset like she is, but you won’t lose her.” Kyle rubbed her back as he tried to help his baby sister through another round of sobs. “If you fight for her then she will come back around.”

“I broke her, I broke us.” Ali sniffled loudly into Kyle’s shirt, causing him to wince slightly. “And I broke a major promise that’s unforgivable.

“Alexandra Blaire!” Kyle had had enough of the crying and whining over the last 48 hours. He knew why Ai was so caught up, but she didn’t. He saw the way they looked at each other from the start, but even he knew love was never easy. Especially when one of the two couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Sit up, and shut up.”

This caused Ali to sober up and look at her brother who looked almost as broken as she did. “You don’t understand Kyle!”

“Hell yes I do, princess. And it’s about time you figure out why she’s as broken as she is.” Kyle stood up and crossed his arms as he watched his sister. “If you can’t think, I’ll do Ashlyn’s dirty work for you. Just call me when you make a decision.” And with that Kyle grabbed his things and headed out to his car.

Ali screamed into her pillow with frustration. What the hell does everyone else know but her? Ali reached over to grab the scrap book Ashlyn’s grandma had made for them. Ali flipped through each picture, trying to remember anything specific about their high school years.

There was the time Ali’s date left her the morning of junior prom to go with the head cheerleader, so Ashlyn surprised her and made a big and cheesy spectacle in front of her and her family to ask her to prom, as friends of course, but she never really thought about that moment. Ash hated dances, but she knew Ali loved the chance to dress up and be a real girly girl so she gave that moment to the only person she felt like deserved to have that evening.

She flipped to the picture her mother took when Ashlyn had shown up with a bouquet of 100 roses for Ali, all dressed up in dark grey pants, a blue shirt, and a bright orange skinny tie to complete the look. Ali sobbed quietly as she looked to the next picture of them standing there, Ali smiling for the camera, but Ashlyn’s eyes were elsewhere. Ashlyn was staring at Ali with the upmost adoration and love she had ever seen.

This sparked Ali to scroll through the rest of the photos, a majority of them filled with pictures of them on their adventures. All of those with Ashlyn staring at Ali like she was her world.

“Oh my god.” Ali slipped that one prom picture out from her book and sprinted towards the front door. Her three friends walked in right as Ali was throwing on her shoes in a hurry.

“Where are you headed in such a hurry?” Kling asked, stepping out of the way.

“To tell my best friend that I love her, too.” Ali breathed as she raced out the door.


	7. I Just Want My Best Friend Back

Chapter Seven

Ashlyn was currently loading the back of her jeep with two suitcases full of clothes and her surfboard. In times of doubt the only place she wanted to run to was her grandma’s house. She need a little tough love at this time, and Ashlyn certainly wasn’t going to give it to herself. She let out a grunt as she tossed her surfboard on top and climbed the side of her car to tie it down to the overhead rack. She was so busy making sure her pride and joy was safe that she didn’t see another car pull up with a familiar brunette behind the wheel.

Ali got out of the car, smiling to herself as she saw the look of concentration on the blonde’s face, her tongue sticking out slightly as she tugged at the board.

“I’m not expert, but I don’t think that’s tight enough to keep your baby safe now is it?” Ali quipped as she leaned against her hood.

“What the fuck?!” Ashlyn let out a squeal as she fell off the side of the car. The blonde let out a puff as she stood up to face the visitor. “Look here, I don’t know who you- ALI?” Ashlyn turned, cut off midsentence as she saw the very person she was trying to run from staring at her with a goofy smirk.

But Ali knew better this time, and before Ashlyn could run or start yelling again, not that Ali blamed her, she took the conversation into her own hands. “Before you run or yell or whatever, you should hear me out. If you don’t like what I have to say, so be it.”

Ashlyn just stared at the defender with a look of shock across her face, her eyes roaming her body until her eyes landed on the photo her former best friend was carrying. “Why do you have that?” She said in a slightly weak voice, praying to god Ali hadn’t figured out what Ashlyn was hiding.

“I finally figured out why you were so upset… And why you always seemed to be there for me more than any other best friend ever was… And why you still can’t look me in the eyes right now.”

“Don’t Alex.” Ashlyn breathed sternly as she looked up to meet her eyes.

“Don’t apologize for coming here to tell you how blind I was? Or that I’m sorry it took my slow ass so long to realize I never took my relationships seriously because I secretly hoped it was us curled on the couch binge watching corny TV series? Or that I broke a promise we made four years prior because I was so selfish and I couldn’t face the fact that I wouldn’t have my best friend with me anymore?” Ali spat out, starting to hate herself even more down as she watched tears roll out of Ashlyn’s eyes. “I know it will take a while for you to forgive me, and I’ll take another few weeks of silence over never seeing you again… Because I love you, like I’m in love with you. And, again, I’m sorry it took eight year for me to real-“

Ali was cut off with Ashlyn’s lips crashing down on hers, a small gasp coming out of her mouth as she wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck while a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Ashlyn’s lips moved perfectly against the Orlando defender, holding onto her for dear life as she finally got the moment she secretly wish for, for eight years. Ashlyn only pulled away slightly from Ali when the need for air became too important.

“I guess this means I’m forgiven?” Ali breathed against Ashlyn’s neck as they stood, holding each other in the driveway.

Ashlyn let out a breathy chuckle against Ali’s head as she shook her head. “I’m still kind of pissed that you didn’t tell me you were leaving for Germany for four years…”

“Well I was scarred!” Ali huffed.

“Well I was referring to the part where you didn’t even come by the house to talk to me. You knew better than to try to call me, you knew I would ignore your phone calls.” Ashlyn pulled back, her hands still on Ali’s hips, as she stared down the brunette.

Ali sighed and pulled away, ignoring the small look of hurt on Ashlyn’s face. “I guess I didn’t want to face reality of what I did to you. Or your grandmother’s innocent guilt tripping.”

Ashlyn barked out a laugh, she knew Ali had a reason to be hesitant with her grandmother. Ashlyn just shook her head and pulled Ali by the hand back into her house.

“So will you please tell me what you want?” Ali whined impatiently as she followed the blonde.

“I want my best friend back.” Ashlyn wasn’t sure she was ready to press their relationship farther until she knew she had forgiven Ali 100%. “And that means we are spending the day in bed, watching SpongeBob reruns until we fall asleep at 3 am while pigging out on pizza.” Ashlyn grinned as she tugged Ali into her room, shutting the door in case any of her roommates came home early, and turned to the stack of SpongeBob DVDs Ali got her as a joke for her birthday one year.

“You are such a child.” Ali giggled as she crawled under Ashlyn’s covers, closing her eyes as she took in the familiar scent she missed the most over the last few years. Ali also knew once Ashlyn got more comfortable, she would open up a little more and really clear the air. Ali was smart enough, and knew the blonde well enough, to know that this wasn’t the end of the conversation; and Ashlyn knew that as well. But both girls secretly needed to spend time with the other before they started another round of tears.

Ashlyn flopped herself next to Ali under the covers, turned off the lights, hit play, and curled herself against Ali’s side as the cartoon started. “Fuck, Ashlyn your feet are freezing.” Ali squealed as she felt her best friend slide next to her.

“Not my fault.” Ashlyn laughed as she put a hand to Ali’s mouth to quiet her. “Now hush, the magic is about to begin, Princess.” Ashlyn then proceeded to belt out the theme song for the rest of the day every time the opportunity presented itself.

 

 

The girls had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of season 7, right around 2 am, tanged in a pile of limbs. The day wasn’t even spent watching the show half the time, as Ali predicted, it was spent catching each other on the past four years they missed of each other’s lives. Ali was the first to wake up around 9 AM, never really one to sleep in much even if she stayed up late. She slowly untangled herself, trying not to melt at how cute the blonde’s soft snores were.

She knew Ashlyn would be up soon so she headed into the kitchen to make breakfast for herself and the blonde to eat in bed. However, she did not expect to find Sarah pressed up against the counter wearing nothing but Abby’s shirt and under wear, wrapped in a heavy make out session with the taller blonde wearing the same thing. Ali let out a shriek and fled back to the bedroom.

Ali’s shriek and flop on top of Ashlyn in attempt to hide back under the covers had Ashlyn awake, alert, and panicking. “Ali, what happened?!”

“She may have seen me and Sarah kissing in the kitchen…” Came a sheepish mumble from the door. Abby had followed the unknown visitor back into the bedroom to apologize, but slightly curious as to Ash had sleeping over. Now said blonde was doubled over in laughter at the horrified look on Ali’s face.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!” Ali squealed as she slapped Ashlyn’s shoulder.

“So what happened here…?” Abby said with a smirk as she stepped into the room with Sarah behind her.


	8. Bandit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, life has been busy.

The next three months showed a lot of promise for Ashlyn and Ali’s relationship. Ali could tell her best friend was still not over everything that happened over the last few years, but the effort from the both of them was there. In between the numerous arguments they had, trying to get all their emotions out into the open, they spent all their time following the other around town. When Ali wasn’t at something Orlando Pride related, she and Sarah spent the day around the surf shop with their women; and when Abby and Ash competed, Sarah and Ali were there to cheer for them. Even Whit couldn’t stay mad at her best friend’s best friend, she absolutely loved Ali.

Once Ali and Ash found some stability between each other, they decided it was time to get the Krieger-Harris clan back together for Ashlyn’s 22nd birthday. The blonde was currently aiding Abby on the porch with the grill, Ali was with Whit in the kitchen baking and preparing all the side dishes, and Kingston was running between the duos in hopes for free food scraps.

Ali initially didn’t want Ash to do any of the cooking since it was her birthday, but Ash slowly weaseled her way in. She started by convincing Ali to let her approve of the menu; steak, macaroni, salad, garlic bread, and snickerdoodles. All of which were the blonde’s favorites. Grandma Harris took over mac n’ cheese duty while Ali and Whit assigned themselves to the sides. They roped Abby into grilling, and before they could lock the back door, Ashlyn had snuck out to help her.

The doorbell rang just as Abby and Ash had popped the steaks in the oven to stay warm. Ali frowned, noting that their families shouldn’t be here for another twenty minutes. Her confusion was sated as soon as she spotted Abby walking back into the kitchen with her girlfriend.

“Sarah, you made it!” Ash grinned as she rushed over to hug the midfielder, causing Abby to jokingly pull her away with a warning glare on her face. That earned a soft slap on the arm from Sarah.

“I totally forgot we invited you.” Ali giggled quietly as she hugged her friend and took the wine she brought. “I was about to get on Kyle for dragging everyone here to early.”

Ash rolled her eyes and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Why does everything have to be on a strict schedule with you, Princess?”

Everyone smirked as Ali poked Ash in the side on her way back beside Whitney to put the finishing touches on everything. “I’m sorry I want everything to be perfect before everyone gets here so we can spend more time in the same damn room.” Ali let out a groan as she placed the heavy dish of baked mac n’ cheese on the stove top.

“Relax, Ali.” Whitney came over and placed the garlic bread on a platter. “I know you’re nervous, but this isn’t helping. Just breathe, please, before you burn yourself.”

“She’s right, Al, you need to breathe.” Abby nodded from her spot next to the stool Huffy was sitting on. “These people are your family, you and Ash were practically raised by them.” This earned a laugh and nod from Ash. “AND you see them every week. I swear to god, you aren’t making much sense right now.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at her girlfriend trying to be sensitive. “As much as I hate to agree with my emotionless oaf…”

“Hey!” Abby huffed and went to go stand by Whit who giggled quietly and patted her shoulder.

“She’s right.” Sarah shot the tall blonde a look before she continued. “I can bet you everyone cares more that you and Ash figured things out more than what happened almost five years ago.”

“She’s right, Alex. If I can forgive you, so can they. I’m pretty sure the only way my grandma would be upset is if you stopped calling, which you didn’t.” Ashlyn smiled. Just as Ali was about to answer with a witty remark, the doorbell rang.

“Your house, you answer it.” Ali squealed as she snuck behind Ashlyn and nudged her forward, earning laughs from everyone else.

 

 

 

To say the least, everyone was ecstatic to have Ashlyn and Ali back to their same old goofy friendship. Grandma Harris even started crying halfway through dinner, causing Abby, who was next to her, to hold her in an awkward, helpless hug. Kyle wasted no time in joining Chris to catch up on all the teasing the two older brothers missed out on the last four years. And Ashlyn, Ali, their friends, and their families spent the next four hours around the table gossiping, teasing, and forming new friendships.

Right as it was beginning to get dark outside Ali rushed into the kitchen to grab the cake she made out of snickerdoodle dough for Ashlyn. She lit seven candles and placed around the edge before heading out to surprise the blonde who thought she was only getting a cookie.

“OH MY GOSH. This is so fucking cool!” Ashlyn yelled as Ali placed the cake in front of her.

“Language, bug.” Her grandma scolded with a small chuckle. Everyone laughed as she shrugged it off and looked closer at the cake which said, ‘Happy Birthday Dork.’ She shot Ali a look who pointed to a smirking Abby. This earned high fives from the two brothers and another slap on the shoulder from both grandma and Sarah.

The table belted out a quick and loud verse of ‘Happy Birthday’ so Ashlyn could blow out her candles and get to the goodies. Everyone eagerly took their piece of cake and hummed their approval as it melted in their mouth.

“I have to say, Ali, you may have this old woman beat in the desert category.” Grandma spoke up as everyone finished their food. “You need to teach me a few things.”

Ali blushed slightly and shot the old woman a smile. “I may have spent weeks looking up recipes. And when I couldn’t find a good one, I winged it. There is another cake in the garage fridge if I messed up.”

“There is more cake?” Ashlyn dragged herself away from playing rock, paper, scissors with Kyle as she whipped around to look at Ali.

Everyone started to laugh as Whitney nodded her head to affirm her question. “I had it made by the little bakery on campus you love so much.” Ashlyn clapped excitedly as she got up and ran around the table to hug her friend.

“I LOVE YOU, WHIT.” Ashlyn squealed as she placed a sloppy kiss on Whitney’s cheek.

“Ew, go away you child.” Whit grumbled as everyone laughed, trying to fight off any more cooties coming her way.

“Let the poor darling go, bug.” Grandma spoke up, earning a grateful smile from Whitney. “Why don’t we skip to the presents, hm?”

This got Ashlyn excited even more, the blonde darting to the living room, trying to get everyone to hurry up. She pulled Ali to sit next to her as everyone else filed into the surrounding chairs and the couch. Her parents went first, getting Ashlyn a new laptop, since her old one went to use for the business. Chris and Kyle got her a new set of waterproof seat covers for her Jeep, Abby and Sarah bought Ashlyn a small trampoline for the backyard since she had been talking about getting one nonstop, Ali’s parents got her a basket of popcorn and a handful of movies, Whitney handed her tickets to the surfing hall of fame, and her grandmother knitted her a handful of beanies. Ashlyn loved every single thing she got, getting up constantly to give everyone hugs.

When it was Ali’s turn, Ashlyn became quiet at the look she was getting. The brunette had a smirk on her face and was trying not to fidget. “I, um, I couldn’t quite think of what to get you. Then I thought back to something you had told me before we graduated high school.”

Ashlyn stared at Ali blankly, as did everyone else. “Should we do this in private…?” Everyone snickered at the blushed look Ashlyn was now sporting.

“No!” Ali laughed and poked her shoulder. “I meant this.” Ali handed over their old graduation wish list their parents had them do just for fun. Ashlyn had written one thing down, a French bulldog puppy.

“Alex…” Ashlyn was now grinning full force as she looked back up to see Ali gently scoot a small box that was open on the top into view.

“Now you have to promise that we get to raise him together…” Ali started, but she never finished because her best friend squealed and pulled the box to her lap, tears forming in her eyes as she saw an adorable bulldog puppy staring at her.

“Alex, he’s so cute.”

“No way…” Whitney scooted closer, grinning as she looked down. “Oh lord, now we are going to have two children in the house.”

Ashlyn laughed and shoved Whit lightly. “Hush.” She grinned and pulled the little ball of fuzz from the box, everyone melting as they saw the newest family member emerge.

“Alex, how did you remember the lists?” Ashlyn turned to face the brunette, giving her a watery smile as she cradled the puppy to her chest.

“I found it in the scrapbook your grandma put together.” Ali smiled and ran a finger along the puppy’s back.

“Does this mean I get credit?” Ashlyn’s grandma piped up, causing everyone to bust out laughing. Except for Ashlyn, who was still staring at Ali with the most love the defender had ever seen. Ashlyn couldn’t believe Ali had actually gone through the trouble of getting this present. Sure, to most people it was a dog, but to Ashlyn, this puppy was something she wanted her whole life. Only Ali understood how much love she had for French bulldogs.

Before Ali could pull Ashlyn out of her trance, the blonde pulled her towards her and kissed her soundly on the lips. Ali could only think about how perfect the blonde’s lips felt moving against hers, her hands moving to cup Ashlyn’s face as she felt an arm snake around her waist. Both girls were oblivious to the ‘aw’s’, cheering, and crying (Ashlyn’s grandma) going on around them.

The moment was short lived when they felt the newest addition to the house wiggling between them. Ali giggled and curled up against Ashlyn as they both looked towards the attention seeking pup.

“He needs a name, Alex.” Ashlyn cooed softly as she played with his little ears.

“How about… Bandit?” Ali said as she turned to look at the blonde.

“Bandit Krieger-Harris.” Ashlyn grinned and turned to look at Ali.

“I love it.”

“I love you.” At this, Ali teared up and grabbed Ashlyn’s face between her hands, kissing her soundly on the lips one more time.

“I love you, too.”

“No crying on me, Alex, you need to stay strong for our son, now.” Ashlyn joked quietly, still oblivious to everyone else. Even Kyle who had been recording the whole thing. The two seemed to be in their own little world until they heard a throat being cleared.

“So when is the wedding?!” Kyle piped up.


	9. She Had Her Cheerios

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been awhile, I'll sneak another chapter in today or tomorrow.

“Babe, we’re back!” Ashlyn yelled into the house, cradling her squirming puppy to her chest. She tossed her keys in the basket by the door and moved towards the den to relax a little. Ashlyn had just taken Bandit to the vet to get everything sorted out. They gave him a standard check-up, he was fine, and all the necessary vaccinations he needed. She also learned he was only five months old. She sank back on the couch, turned on Criminal Minds, and continued to stroke Bandit in an effort to calm him from being poked with a needle multiple times by the vet.

“My baby!” Ali came jogging into the room 30 seconds later and went to pluck Bandit from her girlfriend’s arms. “Hi, handsome.” The brunette cooed as she sat next to Ashlyn, who was pouting at her, and placed a kiss on their puppy’s head.

“Baaaabe.” Ashlyn let out a whine and leaned her chin on Ali’s shoulder, puckering her lips.

“What?” Ali said, still playing with the puppy. She knew Ashlyn got jealous when she gave all her attention to their puppy, so she tended to tease her every once in a while. Ali finally turned towards the blonde a minute later to find her still waiting. She quickly set Bandit on the ground, who toddled towards his doggy bed in the corner, and leaned down to peck her lips. “Dork.”

“Dork…? Really, Alex.” Ashlyn whispered as she moved to hover over Ali on the couch, their lips an inch away.

“Dorks are cute…” Ali breathed out as she stared into her girlfriend’s golden eyes.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“So can this cute dork get a real kiss now?”

Ali managed a weak nod as she leaned up crushed her lips against Ashlyn’s, biting back a moan as their bodies pressed together. No matter how many kisses the pair had shared over the last two months as an official couple, neither of them would ever get used to the feel of their lips moving together in sync. And what started out as an innocent “hello” kiss, quickly started moving towards a whole new level, even though they hadn’t entirely been to that level quite yet.

After everyone went home for the evening on Ash’s birthday, or retreated to their respectful rooms, Ali and Ashlyn stayed up late into the night talking, napping, and playing with the newest member of the household. Bandit was a complete handful, kind of like Ashlyn, and because he was still so tiny, he could hide anywhere his heart desired. They would spend hours chasing him around the house, barely catching him in time to walk him; he could never go a meal without spilling half the bowl all over the floor; and to make things worse, Ashlyn assisted him in any shenanigans she could and vice versa. This included using him to get on Ali’s good side when she was caught eating cookies or any form of sweets before her girlfriend could finish making dinner.

Ali had woken up the next morning to a very middle school aged note from Ashlyn, asking her on a date that evening. It had been slipped under her door in the wee hours of the night and it read, “Alexandra Blaire Krieger, will you go on a date with me?” with little check boxes for her answer. She spent the morning with Kling and Pinoe squealing and shopping for a new outfit to wear that evening. Ashlyn took Ali to a Florida famous BBQ truck on the beach, the best she had ever had, and they sat on the beach with Bandit for hours, talking and joking about their awkward high school and college years.

Ash pulled back from the kiss after a few minutes and sat back, pulling Ali with her. “Ready for your game tomorrow?”

Ali had to travel with the team to New York in a few hours to take on the Flash two times over the next five days. “I’m excited, but I’m going to miss you.” Ali pouted cutely as she gave Ashlyn her best puppy dog eyes. “Why can’t you go up with Abby? She seems like a better girlfriend than you at this point.”

“Ouch, babe, that wounds me.” Ashlyn jokingly groaned. “But for real, you know I have to compete too. Abs is only going because she’s already qualified for world quarterfinals.”

“I know.” Ali sighed and sat up, moving to lay in Ashlyn’s arms. She buried her face in the blonde’s shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. “You know I will watch as much of the surfing stream as I possibly can.” She mumbled quietly.

“I know baby, and I’ll sneak in as much of you kicking ass as possible.”

Ali yawned quietly, exhausted from spending last night making out and watching reruns of FRIENDS while they gossiped over a pint of ice cream. They wanted to spend as much possible time together before being separated for a week. “Wake me up in an hour so I don’t miss my flight, please.”

“Will do, babe.” Ashlyn set the alarm on her phone and reached for the blanket to wrap around them.

 

 

“Ali, baby, it’s time to go.” Ashlyn gently pried Bandit from his mother’s grasp. She felt guilty about breaking her babies apart, but Ali needed to get through security before it got busy. She and Abby took Ali, Sarah, Pinoe, and Kling to the airport to catch the last flight to New York; and while Pinoe and Kling headed through security fifteen minutes ago to grab everyone seats, Ali was trying not to leave Ashlyn and the puppy she insisted to bring.

“Okay, okay.” Ali let Ashlyn take the sleepy puppy and leaned up to press their lips together for one brief moment. “I love you, baby. And you too, Ash.” Ali tried to joke, failing miserably as she picked up her bag.

“I love you too, princess, now go kick some ass.”

Ali nodded, sniffling slightly as she turned to go and grab a place in line for her and Sarah. Sarah quickly pecked Abby on the lips and headed to join Ali in the security line. Lucky for Sarah, Abby would fly out at lunch time tomorrow and join her for the rest of the week. Abby claimed it was to cheer on her girlfriend, but Ash knew she wanted to sneak over to her family home in Rochester for some ‘mommy time’ as she had jokingly referred to it as.

“How did we get this lucky, huh Abs?”

“I don’t know, Muffin, but I’m not going to question it.” Abby grinned, took her sleeping ‘nephew’ from Ashlyn’s arms, and led them back to the car.

“Softie.” Ash smirked, receiving an inconspicuous middle finger from Abby.

 

 

Ashlyn was currently sitting between Abby and Whit, watching the Orlando Pride game on TV while thunder rumbled outside. Due to a nasty storm, Abby was stuck watching Sarah’s first game at home. The score was 0-0 going on the 89th minute, and it looked like no stoppage time was going to be added. The team was playing well, especially Pinoe (who almost scored twice), but the Flash had a wicked defense that the Pride couldn’t break.

“Will someone please score already?” Abby whined as she threw a piece of popcorn at the TV.

“I’m not one to complain, but yes, I agree with you, Abs.” Whit sighed as she leaned forward to watch.

Ash just grumbled in agreement. Thirty more seconds left in the game and the Pride had earned a corner kick. “Come on ladies…” Ash whispered in a trance as she saw Sarah move towards the goal, trying to go unnoticed.

“What the fuck, she doesn’t do corner kicks.” Abby snorted, trying not to get her hopes up to much.

“Element of surprise, maybe?” Whit offered. And a surprise it was; when Pinoe took the corner, she passed it to Hope (who came up, out of her goal), who passed it to an open Sarah, who tapped in into the goal.

“YES, THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND. YOU SHOW ‘EM BABE!” Abby was the first to react, jumping all over the place while the team dog piled Sarah and Hope. Ashlyn and Whit stared at each other in shock for another moment before cheering along with Abby. Over all the noise, they could barely hear the final whistles blow.

“Of course she scores when I’m not there!” Abby laughed as she whipped out her phone to take a celebratory selfie with her roommates to send to the team.

“Maybe it’s beca-“ Whit started, but stopped when Abby turned to stare her down. “Because she had her cheerios.” Ashlyn intercepted, snorting quietly.

“Nice save, ass.” Abby smirked.

“Well I was a keeper in high school.” Ash joked, earning a playful shove from Whit and a flick on the forehead from Abby.


End file.
